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March 1st here. I'm revising from sleeve to bypass due to severe GERD. Sent from my Z6201V using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Jerald, thanks for reading all that I hope you'll get over COVID and back to good health soon. So a few things on this. First of all, there can be numerous reasons for making a shorter bypass (see below), and a 90 cm BPL is still longer than many RNY'ers bilio-pancreatic limb bypass (it turns out their afferent limb still absorbs calories). However, while the RNY ends up being almost only a restrictive surgery, the MGB remains a malabsorptive surgery. Most MGBers can eat all kinds of food at reasonable volume pretty quickly. So if we have a malabsorptive procedure, more malabsorption is better, right? Well, generally it's not the malabsorption that helps us. Sure, it's nice to not absorb 300-400 calories or whatever, but it's primarily the fact that the food gets to the lower intestine really fast that makes us lose weight. You know that feeling of 'oh man I had a big meal' you get pretty much immediately after eating anything a little heavier? At least many MGB'ers describe this as tool #1. Why a shorter bypass? Some surgeons want to make sure older patients don't get malnourished (I don't know how old you are). Some surgeons believe a shorter bypass is almost as effective (again, the difference between 150 cm and 250 cm in the studies is pretty small in terms of weight loss. It's the fact that there's a bypass that helps). What if it is too short? Well, then enjoy you had a surgery that's easily revisable. It shouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes in general anesthesia to move your connection further down. Your weight loss seems fine, btw! But if you need to, the inventor of MGB, Dr Rutledge, is very responsive on Facebook and even does free consultations for MGBers as far as I've seen. He really is in it for the health and for the surgery. PROTEIN! Btw: really, really, really try to get that protein in. Especially with a surgery like ours. I also completely lost my appetite during COVID but 60g isn't a lot. Get some of the hot protein cocoa on the BariatricPal Store, the protein muffins, the quest protein chips, the oatmeal ... something. At any age over 40, you want to preserve as much muscle mass as humanly possible. Even a week of atrophy (wasting away muscle tissue) will measurably lower your burn rate. You will regret that later.

The best feeling ever eh after struggling with weight almost all our lives and the same daunting feeling of being watched. Seriously you look great, feel great. What else is there to it. Congrats on your journey. It's funny how this section is right in the corner. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Didn't know this info. It sounds weird considering both RYN and miniRYN have similar routing of the digestive track. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But from some of reviews out here, it does seem like mini has been doing great work. In Canada, surgeries are covered under our medical insurance, but we only have an option of Sleeve or RYN. Not sure why this isn't on the table yet when RYN is. Regardless, I was kinda confused with sleeve vs RNY. But given my PCOS history and ofc GERD associated revision, I ended up choosing RYN. And I think I am glad I did that cuz having gone through post-Op, I don't think I ever want to go back to an OR unless for extrutiating circumstances. Again, well done with your journey 👍🏼 Your advises and posts have been very helpful out here. 🤩

Sorry it took me so long to answer you. I ended up having thighs, gluteal fold excision and revision of bilateral brachioplasty. I came home on Saturday. I’ve basically been laying on the couch, flat with my legs elevated. My incisions go from the front of my groin, all the way down past the lady parts and across the gluteal fold and then vertically down the middle of my thigh and 1/2 way across my knee- that was to help pull up the skin on my lower leg. He asked me if I wanted him to go that far and I said yes. I have 2 drains, one in each leg. Hope I get them out on Friday. I’m glad I did this when it’s cold because I have compression garments from wait to ankles and full length arms. I can’t believe I forgot to take a before picture. I know the doctor has some, I’ll ask him if I can have copies at some point. Pain has been well controlled. I’m impressed with how my thighs look but they are pretty bruised and swollen. I thought my arms looked ok before but they look even better now.

Hello, I’m in the process of getting a revision to my RNY (2004). It’s a “trans-oral” procedure. My stomach pouch has expanded at the junction of the pouch and the intestine that’s connected to it, so food doesn’t stay in it which makes me eat more, leading to regain. They’ll go down like an endoscopy and sew up the pouch, leaving a smaller hole. It costs less than a surgical procedure ( the insurance companies like that).

Loridee, did you lose all of your weight while you had your band? Or did you have more to lose after you revised to bypass? And if so, did you lose your weight slower with the bypass? I'm in the process of revising to bypass from band. My band was removed 4/2021 and now I'm in the process of revising and I'm trying to get an understanding how exactly the bypass is different from the band. I see a lot of people saying it's different and better, but I'm still not exactly sure what makes it different and better. Other than the obvious lack of reflux a lot of banders experienced, myself included.

I am getting RNY on 2/3/2022 in Denver CO. I had lap band in 2014 and worked for a few years but it was causing problems so had it removed in October, 2021 and now getting ready for this revision. I am anxious but nervous that I won't know what to eat, not eat and how fast/slow - I've been so distracted lately. I need to re-read my surgery handbook...

Looking for advice, will try to be brief. Thank you for allowing me to join your community! As the title explains, I have had two operations in the last 12 years. I have had issues with alcohol in the past which led to my revision. Anyway, I will complete a 'my story' post soon. Today I am trying to determine if what I am experiencing is normal or not. Thank you, in advance, for your candid advice. I developed GERD-like symptoms about nine months ago. I tried to moderate it with diet (less spicy / tomato), a few rounds of Prilosec. About seven months ago I gave up all alcohol in-part due to the painful symptoms. I had greatly moderated from my two bottle a day heyday, but I still drank. I am proud of my progress, but meetings may be in my future. At three months, Dr. ordered an endoscopy. I had the procedure October 30, 2021. Results showed that I was inflamed, but no ulcers. 'Just stay on Prilosec, forever if you have to' is the advice I received. After endoscopy, I decided to give up all carbonated drinks (I was hooked on about 100+ ounces a day of Diet Dr. Pepper). My go-to drink is now water. Also have added a lot of unsweetened iced tea and some coffee. A few days after New Year, my appetite started to decline. Just the thought of food was making me not feel well. I work from home and I fell into a habit of: one yogurt in the AM, protein drink at noon if hunger strikes, then just maybe 10 bites of anything around 4pm. Dinner at 7, maybe 20 bites over two hours. Hunger pains come on strong at times, but go away fast with 2-4 bites of anything.. As of today, Jan 23, my appetite is still just about 30% / 40% of what it was. I still find myself feeling like I have to 'force' myself to eat sometimes. Nothing sounds or tastes very good. I had a colonoscopy in December. Came back normal with one non-issue polyup (sp). Last week, I ran out of Prilosec. I decided to see if maybe I could get away with an as-needed solution. Big mistake. For the last three nights I have been awakened with extreme pain in my stomach. I have been taking Pepcid and Rolaids / Tums as needed. I plan to restart Prilosec tomorrow. Not sure why my stomach is still on fire??? I have a rather bland meat and potato diet. I quit alcohol and all carbonated drinks. Maybe a liquid fast and 100 Hail Mary's? This is my theory about my appetite issue: I think giving up the pop has resulted in far less bloating in my small stomach. Perhaps this has allowed it to heal back to a normal, or less inflamed, size. I cannot eat as much, but if I space out my eating, I'm sort of fine. I'm not sure about the mental aspects of this situation or how they corollate in parallel to the physical issues. However, the last time I felt this way (loss of appetite, could barely eat) was just before my emergency revision. Thankfully I have not developed the abdominal pains of that episode, just the eating issue. Just for context: I am a 47 year old male, about 260 pounds. I worry about constriction due to scar tissue, I was warned to look out for this. Thank you for any thoughts or advice! Matt

My doc had a goal of 60% excess weight loss, which was 175 lbs. I chose the mid-point of “normal” BMI range for my height: 120 lbs. I ended up revising my goal and ceased weight loss efforts at 127 because I felt I was looking too gaunt when I reached that number. Am 3+ years post op now and weighed 117.2 this morning. My insignificant opinion is to set a reasonable goal weight and adjust as necessary given how you feel, how YOU think you look, and the efforts you are willing to put in. Good Luck! ❤️

I’m scheduled for RNY Revision Feb 8th from a sleeve March 2016. Wish I would have just gotten the RNY in the first place. But I’m excited and ready.

I started out with Lap Band in 2013 and eventually developed horrible GERD. I was on Protonix 2x daily and it didn't help at all. My overuse of Protonix lead to a kidney stone in 11/2020, so at that point I decided that the band had to go, I didn't want another kidney stone. So the band was removed 4/2021. So now I'm looking at revision to RNY. I wish I had never chose the Lap Band. I was going for the least invasive surgery. And now I have a permanently altered esophagus even with the band removed. I wish I would've known then what I know now about WLS's and the options. I would've chose RNY or Mini RNY from the beginning. My surgeon says that RNY is my only option now, thanks to my history of GERD.

I had the sleeve then due to reflux I had to get a revision to a gastric bypass. I wish I knew that gastric bypass is far more effective for me in regards to weight loss, no reflux and no bowel issues. I would've gone straight to having the gastric bypass. I haven't had any problem maintaining my nutrition. Like the others, I take my MV every day and calcium supplements if I don't get enough calcium from my diet. My sleeve was on the large side so if you do decide to go this route, ask your surgeon what size your stomach will be. Mine started off at 10 ounces. I never stretched it but it was difficult to maintain a calorie deficiency. With the bypass, everything seems so natural for me. I feel great, small amounts satisfy me and literally zero side effects as far as bowel, acid reflux... Etc. Hope this helps.

if you have issues with reflux, then the bypass is the better option. Otherwise, it comes down to personal preference. vitamin deficiencies with the bypass are rare as long as you keep on top of your vitamins. most common complication with the sleeve is GERD. Happens to about 30% of sleevers. Usually it can be controlled medically (by taking PPIs), but there are a minority who have severe cases that only a revision to bypass will cure. most common complication with bypass is dumping. Also happens to about 30% of patients. It can be controlled by limiting or avoiding sugar (and for some people, fat). I had bypass almost seven years ago. Like many of us, I've never had any issues with it, and I would do it again if I had to make that choice today. I've been very happy with it. they're both good surgeries and you'll find many people on here who've had a lot of success with both. Unless you have a medical condition that would make one more appropriate than the other, I think either option would be a good one.

I've had both. I was sleeved in 2016 and did very well but then had some personal issues and put back most of the weight. I had the revision to a bypass last November and feel great and am doing well again. I was considering resleeving however I have had GERD for 11 years - it wasn't cured with the sleeve and it didn't get worse, but it didn't go away - and my doctor strongly recommended the bypass to avoid potential severe issues in the future from the GERD. I take the vitamins they recommend to avoid malnutrition and it seems to be working so far. The surgery for the sleeve is quicker than the surgery for the bypass since there's less moving stuff around, so the recovery can theoretically take a little longer, but I was in the hospital for only one night after both surgeries. The bypass was the "gold standard" for many many years and the statistics show that people with the bypass tend to lose SLIGHTLY more weight than those with the sleeve, all else being equal, but only a few percentage points. And you can certainly lose all the weight you need to lose with the sleeve, those are just overall statistics.

Hi - I am new here, but I am wondering if anyone can speak to their success having the SADI-S procedure after an unsuccessful VGS. I had a VGS done in 2015 and lost some weight but quickly gained it back after healing b/c I felt little to no restriction. My surgeon has suggested revising that to add the malabsorptive portion of the SADI-S. I am just curious if anyone here has had experience with this type of revision and what success you had following the DS portion. Thank you in advance!

I am about 6 weeks out of my revision from lap band to bypass and from my experience it is way different. It is a whole new way of learning to eat and seeing what you can tolerate and what you cannot. I do not get the 'full' feeling like I did with the band and I am bummed about that. I am learning that I am getting a new 'full' feeling that I am getting used to that has started to help me now that I have experienced it. I don't know if I have had dumping or not. I have had frequent diarrhea getting used to foods but not sure its technically dumping. I haven't had it in connection with consuming sugar or the sweaty, racing heart thing. I have started to lose weight and I am happy about that part but definitely a different process than the band. Good Luck to you!

Juniper, I’m in the exact same place. I had severe reflux and had all the fluid taken out of my band. I quickly gained 20 lb over the 40 I had gained back over the last 2 years or so. I am approved for revision to bypass and am hoping to have it near the end of Feb. I had the exact same question . I would get stuck with the band and could either tough it out or eject the stuck item. I often chose eject and am wondering if you can do the same after bypass.

wait loss DOES tend to be slower with revisions - BUT....you may just be in a stall right now.

I’m having revision from a sleeve to bypass on Feb 3. Want to keep in touch?

I had a gastric bypass 6.5 weeks aggo. It was a revision from a VBG done open in 2004. I have not lost any weight in 2 weeks. has anyone ever heard that revision patients dont lose much weight?

That’s unfortunate to hear 😩 Since you’ll have to find a new surgeon if you decide to have a revision, try to establish yourself with one that has a comprehensive team that you’re confident in. And don’t forget to ask about all of your options, not just surgical.

Please don’t forget to contact your Surgeon/team. Don’t be embarrassed to ask for their help. Perhaps you can get a good look at how to optimize your diet with a nutritionist, habit building with a therapist and there are a lot of new weight loss medications recently approved that may help before revision surgery is needed. Good Luck ❤️

I'm finally mustering up the guts to ask for help. I am 5' 2" and I had gastric sleeve at 205 lbs. My struggle with weight has been life-long. I dropped down to 155 and I was actually quite happy there, as I was down to a size 10. I consumed about 900 cal/day at that point. Everything went to hell in a handbasket when COVID hit. I truly do not mean to make excuses, because there are none, but there were situational issues. My husband was hit severely early on in the pandemic, the kids were doing remote schooling, I was out of a job, I wasn't exercising and I chose to deal with all of this by getting diet sloppy. And the weight has just been creeping up. I am now at 190 lbs. What's even worse, is that according to the 13cal/pound calculation, I would need to eat 2470 calories per day in order to maintain a weight of 190lbs. I don't come close to that. I average 1600, and usually not even that much. My metabolism has always been a problem, which I suspect lots of people can identify with. I have tried Keto and Atkins on and off, but they are not sustainable for me. I read up on Pouch Reset, but then also read about the weight regain. I'm considering intermittent fasting, or simply using my Baritastic app and dropping it to 900 cals. I even looked into a revision, but that wouldn't solve the core issues, which I can't even identify at this point. I'm so ashamed by this. I've made a mess of this but at the same time, I'm committed to fixing this problem. Help? Thank you...

Just to be clear, going from a sleeve, band etc to a bypass is a conversion of a previous surgery, to another bariatric solution. Revision retains and modifies the original procedure such as a gastric bypass. So you have had a conversion to a different type of weight loss solution. There should be no reason why it would not be successful as long as you abide by your new surgery protocols.

Hey please know you got this. I have been beating myself up for needing a revision. Had leave to bypass may 19. I am outpacing my first weight loss by a lot. I’m wiser now. Every single day is a choice and you will be successful if you make good choices more days than not.